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FREEDOM AND FAIRNESS
an Jfrancfstvi iFoahorn
Vol. 109, Issue 16
NEWS
Members of Latinas Unidas
celebrate the contributions
of Latina women in annual
signature dinner, pg. 3
OPINION
Despite ouselves, USF students
separate themselves from a
city of vulnerable people, says
Andrea Powell
Pg-4
SCENE
KUSF rocks Late Night @
Crossroads
Pg-5
SPORTS
USF Boxing Team at Koret
Invitationals pg. 7
FOGHORN ONLINE
Go to foghorn.usfca.edu for
videos, slideshows, and more!
SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
March 8, 2012
foghorn, usfca. edu
Use of Hijab Dress Code Explained During Islam Awareness Week
/"V.
I'm
us
A/eeK
nn . K A Air/I. O— f
Emily Bogden/Foghorn
Zahra Billoo explains the reasons why Muslim women wear the hijab at a Muslim Student Association event in to
honor Islam Awareness Week.
DEBORA FOGLIATTO
StaffWriter
The Muslim Student Association
presented its second annual Islam
Awareness Week last week. Among
the events which included an art
exhibition on famous Muslims, a
lecture on Shariah Law (the moral
and religious law of Islam) and
stand-up comedy about Muslim
stereotypes, was a lecture on reasons
for why Muslim women wear the
hijab, modest attire and head scarf.
Zahra Billoo, executive director
of the Council of American Islamic
Relations in San Francisco (CAIR-
SFBA), spoke about the history ofthe
Islamic faith, the equality of gender in
Islam, the role of women and the use
ofthe hijab.
"A lot of times we tend to hear
that they must hide their sexuality for
men, hide their bodies. I don't think it
is necessary to hide myself from men,
because I don't believe men are out to
get me,"joked Billoo.
Wearing a brown hijab that
covered her hair and neck, along
with a simple long-sleeve black shirt
and black pants, Billoo said there
were two reasons why women wear
the hijab. The first is that modesty
is a commandment from God. The
other is because the use of the scarf
and conservative attire identifies
women as practitioners of Islam. This
is something believed to have been
encouraged by the main prophet of
the Islam religion, Mohammed.
"One of the teachings of the
Prophet was that the women in his
community would dress this way so
that they would be made distinct, so
other people would know they are
Muslim women," Billoo said.
She added that a lot of modern
Muslim women also wear the hijab
as a way of stating they want to be
judged for their opinions, not their
appearance. Both men and women are
required to dress modestly, but women
usually have specific rules. Billoo
said the majority of Muslims believe
women should cover everything
except their hands, face and feet, but
there are variations. Some people
believe they should also cover their
faces and wear clothes that don't show
the shapes of their bodies. Others say
women should dress modestly but
don't believe in specific requirements.
Rabell Afridi, president of the
Muslim Student Association, said
she does not wear the hijab because
she doesn't feel she is ready to make
a commitment of practicing religious
rules of attire unto God. Her parents
are from Pakistan and her mom wears
the hijab, but she never forced her
daughter to do the same.
"I have started thinking about it,
and I've become more comfortable
with the idea, so maybe after I
graduate I'll start wearing it. I'm
waiting for the right moment, when
my intentions about religion are clear,"
she explained.
Billoo said that according to the
Qur'an, God judges everyone as equal.
It is believed the Prophet Mohammed
also believed in the equality of gender.
Yet, Billoo added that Adam and Eve
are perceived to have been created as
individuals with different qualities
that complemented each other.
"Men and women are equal, but in
DRESS CODE: Cont. on Page 2
Photo Illustration by Rieko Whitfield/Foghorn
New Alcohol Education Program
to be Launched Next Semester
DANIELLE MAGEE
StaffWriter
A new alcohol education
program is to be launched next
semester.
ThinkAboutlt, an alcohol
education program proposed
by Vice Provost Peter Novak in
collaboration with Lawroom, is
a company that creates online
courses. These will replace the
current MyStudentBody program
used by USF and several other
Jesuit universities. The aim is
to create a more realistic and
interactive program through which
students can think critically about
situations involving alcohol, drugs
and sexual violence.
Jeremy Beckman, the architect
of ThinkAboutlt, presented the
structure and design ofthe program
on March 1. Beckman said the
philosophy of the project is to be
effective in making a difference in
each individual.
"Our goal is to prepare them
with knowledge and know what to
do with that knowledge when they
come to campus," he said.
Representatives from
universities such as Boston
College, Loyola Marymount
University, Santa Clara University
and Gonzaga University, which
currently use the MyStudentBody
alcohol education program
attended the presentation.
The finalized course will allow
universities to customize the
settings, so they can make the
program specific to their university
and students.
Novak said the reason he
decided to seek the creation of a
new program was because he wasn't
happy with the program students
were taking and thought students
felt the same way.
"Not a single student wanted to
continue using these courses," he
said.
Novak and Lawroom officials
used student focus groups to
make the program more specific
and relatable to college students.
The program includes skits,
ALCOHOL: Continued on Page 3
Student Profile: Abesha Shiferaw-Elfaqir
Witnesses Egyptian Revolution and
Plans Return to Egypt
KATHLEEN DE LARA
StaffWriter
Abesha Shiferaw-Elfaqir
sees life from the perspective of
an Egyptian rebel. While many
seniors are focusing on getting into
the door of their future employer,
Shiferaw-Elfaqir is planning to live
out her passion for social justice
building on values she learned
while growing up and studying in
Africa.
Shiferaw-Elfaqir, a senior
international relations student, was
born and raised in Ethiopia, where
she learned the values of family and
interdependence. She was taken
care of by her godmother and left
Ethiopia when she was 7 years old.
Driven by a culture that
underlined fellowship and pride
in one's roots when she moved to SFIFERAW: Cont. on Page 2
Seattle, Washington Shiferaw-
Elfaqir drew upon the same
principals at USF.
The Egyptian revolution had
just begun when she moved to
Cairo as part of an AMIDEAST
Education Abroad program
January 2011. The study abroad
program allows students to interact
with the people of North Africa
and the Middle East. Living in an
apartment located about two miles
from Tahrir Square, Shiferaw-
Elfaqir and three other students
from other U.S. universities, had,
"in the strangest sense, front-row
seats" to the protests in Egypt last
year.
"We could smell the gun
powder and feel the tear gas from
our house, and we witnessed the
Photo courtesy of Abesha Shifer
Friends Tinora Locke and Zakia Elfaqir pose together with Abesha Shiferaw
(right) on camels.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 9411,
NEWSROOM 415.422.6122

FREEDOM AND FAIRNESS
an Jfrancfstvi iFoahorn
Vol. 109, Issue 16
NEWS
Members of Latinas Unidas
celebrate the contributions
of Latina women in annual
signature dinner, pg. 3
OPINION
Despite ouselves, USF students
separate themselves from a
city of vulnerable people, says
Andrea Powell
Pg-4
SCENE
KUSF rocks Late Night @
Crossroads
Pg-5
SPORTS
USF Boxing Team at Koret
Invitationals pg. 7
FOGHORN ONLINE
Go to foghorn.usfca.edu for
videos, slideshows, and more!
SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
March 8, 2012
foghorn, usfca. edu
Use of Hijab Dress Code Explained During Islam Awareness Week
/"V.
I'm
us
A/eeK
nn . K A Air/I. O— f
Emily Bogden/Foghorn
Zahra Billoo explains the reasons why Muslim women wear the hijab at a Muslim Student Association event in to
honor Islam Awareness Week.
DEBORA FOGLIATTO
StaffWriter
The Muslim Student Association
presented its second annual Islam
Awareness Week last week. Among
the events which included an art
exhibition on famous Muslims, a
lecture on Shariah Law (the moral
and religious law of Islam) and
stand-up comedy about Muslim
stereotypes, was a lecture on reasons
for why Muslim women wear the
hijab, modest attire and head scarf.
Zahra Billoo, executive director
of the Council of American Islamic
Relations in San Francisco (CAIR-
SFBA), spoke about the history ofthe
Islamic faith, the equality of gender in
Islam, the role of women and the use
ofthe hijab.
"A lot of times we tend to hear
that they must hide their sexuality for
men, hide their bodies. I don't think it
is necessary to hide myself from men,
because I don't believe men are out to
get me,"joked Billoo.
Wearing a brown hijab that
covered her hair and neck, along
with a simple long-sleeve black shirt
and black pants, Billoo said there
were two reasons why women wear
the hijab. The first is that modesty
is a commandment from God. The
other is because the use of the scarf
and conservative attire identifies
women as practitioners of Islam. This
is something believed to have been
encouraged by the main prophet of
the Islam religion, Mohammed.
"One of the teachings of the
Prophet was that the women in his
community would dress this way so
that they would be made distinct, so
other people would know they are
Muslim women," Billoo said.
She added that a lot of modern
Muslim women also wear the hijab
as a way of stating they want to be
judged for their opinions, not their
appearance. Both men and women are
required to dress modestly, but women
usually have specific rules. Billoo
said the majority of Muslims believe
women should cover everything
except their hands, face and feet, but
there are variations. Some people
believe they should also cover their
faces and wear clothes that don't show
the shapes of their bodies. Others say
women should dress modestly but
don't believe in specific requirements.
Rabell Afridi, president of the
Muslim Student Association, said
she does not wear the hijab because
she doesn't feel she is ready to make
a commitment of practicing religious
rules of attire unto God. Her parents
are from Pakistan and her mom wears
the hijab, but she never forced her
daughter to do the same.
"I have started thinking about it,
and I've become more comfortable
with the idea, so maybe after I
graduate I'll start wearing it. I'm
waiting for the right moment, when
my intentions about religion are clear,"
she explained.
Billoo said that according to the
Qur'an, God judges everyone as equal.
It is believed the Prophet Mohammed
also believed in the equality of gender.
Yet, Billoo added that Adam and Eve
are perceived to have been created as
individuals with different qualities
that complemented each other.
"Men and women are equal, but in
DRESS CODE: Cont. on Page 2
Photo Illustration by Rieko Whitfield/Foghorn
New Alcohol Education Program
to be Launched Next Semester
DANIELLE MAGEE
StaffWriter
A new alcohol education
program is to be launched next
semester.
ThinkAboutlt, an alcohol
education program proposed
by Vice Provost Peter Novak in
collaboration with Lawroom, is
a company that creates online
courses. These will replace the
current MyStudentBody program
used by USF and several other
Jesuit universities. The aim is
to create a more realistic and
interactive program through which
students can think critically about
situations involving alcohol, drugs
and sexual violence.
Jeremy Beckman, the architect
of ThinkAboutlt, presented the
structure and design ofthe program
on March 1. Beckman said the
philosophy of the project is to be
effective in making a difference in
each individual.
"Our goal is to prepare them
with knowledge and know what to
do with that knowledge when they
come to campus," he said.
Representatives from
universities such as Boston
College, Loyola Marymount
University, Santa Clara University
and Gonzaga University, which
currently use the MyStudentBody
alcohol education program
attended the presentation.
The finalized course will allow
universities to customize the
settings, so they can make the
program specific to their university
and students.
Novak said the reason he
decided to seek the creation of a
new program was because he wasn't
happy with the program students
were taking and thought students
felt the same way.
"Not a single student wanted to
continue using these courses," he
said.
Novak and Lawroom officials
used student focus groups to
make the program more specific
and relatable to college students.
The program includes skits,
ALCOHOL: Continued on Page 3
Student Profile: Abesha Shiferaw-Elfaqir
Witnesses Egyptian Revolution and
Plans Return to Egypt
KATHLEEN DE LARA
StaffWriter
Abesha Shiferaw-Elfaqir
sees life from the perspective of
an Egyptian rebel. While many
seniors are focusing on getting into
the door of their future employer,
Shiferaw-Elfaqir is planning to live
out her passion for social justice
building on values she learned
while growing up and studying in
Africa.
Shiferaw-Elfaqir, a senior
international relations student, was
born and raised in Ethiopia, where
she learned the values of family and
interdependence. She was taken
care of by her godmother and left
Ethiopia when she was 7 years old.
Driven by a culture that
underlined fellowship and pride
in one's roots when she moved to SFIFERAW: Cont. on Page 2
Seattle, Washington Shiferaw-
Elfaqir drew upon the same
principals at USF.
The Egyptian revolution had
just begun when she moved to
Cairo as part of an AMIDEAST
Education Abroad program
January 2011. The study abroad
program allows students to interact
with the people of North Africa
and the Middle East. Living in an
apartment located about two miles
from Tahrir Square, Shiferaw-
Elfaqir and three other students
from other U.S. universities, had,
"in the strangest sense, front-row
seats" to the protests in Egypt last
year.
"We could smell the gun
powder and feel the tear gas from
our house, and we witnessed the
Photo courtesy of Abesha Shifer
Friends Tinora Locke and Zakia Elfaqir pose together with Abesha Shiferaw
(right) on camels.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 9411,
NEWSROOM 415.422.6122